How to Remove Personal Information from iPhone before Selling

A system restore, or restoring your phone to its factory settings, basically means you are going to wipe off all the data and start again. Sometimes when technology goes wrong we need to do this, or if you are selling your old iPhone then you won’t want the new owner to have your personal texts messages, emails, apps or even your bank details. Whatever your reason chances are you will need to perform a system restore at some point and in this simple walk through I’ll explain how. First of all you must ensure you have backed up your data. This can be done one of two ways, via iCloud or iTunes. If you’re iCloud is full then you probably want to do it on iTunes but if you have enough space, or have bought more, then iCloud can be a good way to do it. iCloud normally backs up automatically every day but to be on the safe side you can do it manually.

First Backup Old Information on iCloud :

Connect to WiFi

Settings > iCloud > Storage and Backup

Ensure the slider for iCloud backup is on and then tap Backup Now

Depending on when you last backed up it can take a while so be prepared to wait . To Back up via iTunes follow these simple steps:

Connect your phone to your computer

Open iTunes, or wait for it to launch automatically, and select your phone under the Devices tab

Right click the phone and select Transfer Purchases. This will transfer any apps, music, films etc. that you have bought via your phone but not yet synced with iTunes

Once that has completed right-click again and select Back Up

Again, this could take a while. Don’t touch your phone whilst doing this, as you can’t use it whilst its backing up. I personally cancelled a back up twice in one evening, both times when it was ninety per cent through just by accidentally swiping the iPhone’s screen. Longest. Backup , Ever. So, once that has complete your phone is ready to be restored. Make sure your phone is connected to a power source, or fully charged before beginning. Restoring iPhone and Removing all Personal Information :

Settings > General

Scroll all the way down and tap Reset

Tap Erase All Content And Data

If you have a password it will ask you for it before asking one last time if you want to proceed

Tap Erase iPhone

If your phone is jailbroken then it is advisable to do this process via iTunes. You may also want to unregister the phone from Apple’s website so it is not linked to your ID anymore as well as Dropbox, Pandora and other services . When your iPhone comes back to life it will be like new . If you are not selling you can sync it with iTunes and you will have all you data back! If you are then it is ready to go . Looking to buy the new iPhone 5 ? Then Subscribe to our Free Newsletter for the latest iPhone 5 Updates .